John Leroy Olson

John Leroy Olson (1897-1961)

Inducted 1965

Highlights

Dundee

Dundee Growers Association

Growers’ Loan & Guaranty Company

Highlands Crate Company

Florida Citrus Exchange

Columbia Bank of Cooperatives

Exchange National Bank

Polk County Fertilizer Company

Bio

John Leroy Olson was born in St. Joseph, Mo. He received his B.S. from Missouri and moved to Florida in 1923, settling in the Dundee area in order to take charge of the family groves and expanded operations into citrus caretaking.

Olson ended up joining the Dundee Growers Association, where he served as president for 24 years. He also served as President for both the Growers Loan and Guaranty Company in Tampa and the Highland Crate Company. He was a director of the Florida Citrus Exchange, the Columbia Bank of Cooperatives, the Federal Land Bank of Columbia, South Carolina, and the Exchange National Bank. He also served as a partner in the Polk County Fertilizer Company.

John L. Olson was inducted into the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame in 1965, four years after his death in 1961.